Upper Burrell supervisors to fix Lower Drennen Road stormwater runoff issue

The Upper Burrell supervisors continue their work to make improvements on Lower Drennen Road.

At its meeting Wednesday, the board authorized its engineer, Michael Moore of Bankson Engineers, to prepare the specifications for the stormwater runoff issue on Lower Drennen, as well as other prep work using the township’s federal pandemic recovery funding to pay for it.

Supervisors Chairman Ross Walker said the move is an effort to mitigate road flooding. The area is near Route 780 and Lower Drennen Road.

“When it rains, the water runs, and we’ve had some complaints about it,” he said.

Walker said the township won’t know how much the project will cost until the contract bids come back for the board’s consideration. Township Secretary Melissa Cortileso said the township has through next year to present the project to remain eligible for the federal funding.

Supervisors also accepted Westmoreland County grants to repair two slides — of seven — along Lower Drennen Road. The county intends to fund about 75% of the $67,563 estimate, with Upper Burrell’s share about $16,900.

Officials previously said the seven small landslides are caused by clay under the topsoil that makes the areas, particularly along the road, vulnerable. The slides occurred at different times, and heavy rains in 2019 made the situation worse.

The Lower Drennen Road area is sparsely populated, but the township keeps it open for emergency services for residents and motorists.

Last year, the township was awarded more than $180,000 in federal grant money for work on two other Lower Drennen slides, slides 1 and 6. The federal funding covered about 75% of that project, and the township was able to fund the rest of the project with a grant from the statewide local share account, which is funded by gambling revenue.

Moore said Wednesday that crews began surveying slides 1 and 6, and bids to repair them should be sought soon.